Ritsu Doan first moved to European football from his native J-League in 2017, joining Dutch Eredivisie side FC Groningen. Two years later, Doan moved to PSV Eindhoven before spending the 2020/21 season on loan at Arminia Bielefeld, where he made 34 appearances in the Bundesliga, scoring five goals. Doan played 39 times for PSV last season across league, cup, Europa League and Conference League competition and managed to score eleven goals. The forward is a current Japan international and will take on Germany in the group stages of the upcoming World Cup.

“Ritsu has really good technical skills, is difficult to predict in one-on-one situations and also has an eye for goal. He brings a lot of energy and knows where to be on the pitch,” said sports director Klemens Hartenbach. “It is nice that the move has finally happened after a year-long delay. Ritsu showed in Bielefeld that he has what it takes to play in the Bundesliga and we’ll need him to demonstrate that again for us.”

Ritsu Doan: “The talks with Freiburg were intensive and convincing. I first got to know the club as a strong opponent with loud support from the stands, so I'm looking forward to being part of it myself and coming back to the Bundesliga.”

All involved parties have agreed not to disclose any contract details.